Alagna, Roberto

Alagna, Roberto

▪ French opera singer
born June 7, 1963, Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

      French operatic lyric tenor who became known for both his vocal qualities and his flamboyant acting style.

      Alagna was born to Sicilian parents in a suburb of Paris and was discovered while he was singing for tips in a Paris pizzeria. Although he was mostly self-taught, his first audition in 1988 resulted in the tenor lead as Alfredo in Glyndebourne's touring production of La traviata. That same year he entered and won the Luciano Pavarotti International Competition. In 1990 he reprised the role of Alfredo for La Scala in Milan. He overcame personal tragedy to sing a highly acclaimed Romeo in the Royal Opera (Royal Opera House)'s 1994 production of Charles Gounod (Gounod, Charles)'s Roméo et Juliette only a few weeks after his wife succumbed to a brain tumour, leaving him and their four-year-old daughter bereft.

      Alagna generally was considered a consummate performer, with a strong physical stage presence, though some critics thought his lack of formal training resulted in an overstrained voice. As the first genuine lyric tenor to appear in many years, however, Alagna was continually hailed as the “fourth tenor.” He dismissed comparisons to the famed trio of Pavarotti (Pavarotti, Luciano), Plácido Domingo (Domingo, Plácido), and José Carreras, claiming he wanted to establish his own style.

      Alagna married Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu (Gheorghiu, Angela), with whom he had engaged in a highly publicized romance, in 1996. The pair had met in 1992 while appearing opposite each other as Rodolfo and Mimi in Giacomo Puccini (Puccini, Giacomo)'s La Bohème with the Royal Opera. They attracted further attention by aggressively marketing their combined talents, banking heavily on the fairy-tale quality of their relationship. The duo was booked jointly with recording studios and opera houses throughout the world, though both continued to pursue solo careers as well.

      Alagna also filmed numerous performances for television, including the role of Romeo in Roméo et Juliette (2002) and the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac (2005). He starred as Mario Cavaradossi in the film version of Tosca with Gheorghiu in 2001. Alagna's recordings included full operas such as La Rondine (1997) and La Bohéme (1999) as well as compilations of arias. In 2006 he walked off the stage during a performance as Radamès in Franco Zeffirelli (Zeffirelli, Franco)'s production of Aida at La Scala when members of the audience heckled him. He returned to the role in 2007, replacing the scheduled performer in a production at the Metropolitan Opera (Metropolitan Opera Association) in New York City.

Amanda E. Fuller
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alagna, Roberto, and Gheorghiu, Angela — ▪ 1997        In 1996 French born tenor Roberto Alagna and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu created their own personal operatic libretto with a highly publicized romance that resulted in marriage in May. The pair first met in 1992 while… …   Universalium

  • Roberto Alagna — en 2004 Naissance 7 juin 1963 (1 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Roberto Alagna — (born June 7, 1963) is an French operatic tenor of Sicilian descent. He was born in Clichy sous Bois, Seine Saint Denis, France. Early yearsAlagna was born outside of the city of Paris in 1963 to a family of Sicilian immigrants. As a teenager,… …   Wikipedia

  • Roberto Alagna — (* 7. Juni 1963 in Clichy sous Bois, Frankreich) ist ein französischer Opernsänger (Tenor) italienischer Herkunft. Der Sohn italienischer Eltern wuchs in Paris auf, wo er auch Gesang studierte. 1988 gewann er in Philadelphia den Ersten Preis des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roberto Alagna — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Roberto Alagna (n. 7 de junio de 1963) es un cantante de ópera francés, con registro de tenor. Proviene de una familia de emigrantes sicilianos. Comenzó a cantar muy joven en cabarets parisinos. Influido por las… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alagna — bezeichnet: Alagna (Lombardei), eine italienische Gemeinde in der Provinz Pavia , Region Lombardei Alagna Valsesia, eine italienische Gemeinde in der Provinz Vercelli, Region Piemont Alagna ist der Name folgender Personen: Roberto Alagna… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roberto — ist ein männlicher Vorname, die italienische, spanische und portugiesische Form des Vornamens Robert.[1] Weiteres zu Herkunft und Bedeutung des Namens siehe hier. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Bekannte Namensträger 1.1 Vorname …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alagna —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Roberto Alagna.  Alagna Administration Nom italien Alagna Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Le Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en HD — Le Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en HD Le Metropolitan Opera Titre original The Met : Live in HD Autres titres francophones Le Metropolitan Opera …   Wikipédia en Français

  • London Voices — Infobox Musical artist Name = London Voices Img capt = Img size = Landscape = Background = classical ensemble Birth name = Alias = Born = Died = Origin = Instrument = Voice Voice type = Genre = 1973 present Occupation = Years active = Label =… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”